How to unify smart city data to improve public services

Every day, cities generate millions of data points: from water pressure readings to changes in traffic light status, to air quality alarms. Too often, these data points remain trapped in separate IT and OT systems, never designed to share them, slowing down responses and hiding problems until they become service disruptions.

What are OT and IT and why they are important for smart cities

Operational technology (OT) includes the hardware and software that monitors and controls physical infrastructures such as pumps, valves, signals, and building systems. Informational technology (IT), on the other hand, supports agencies in investigating incidents, coordinating responses, and measuring performance, with a focus on identity, endpoint security, network security, and analysis platforms.

When OT and IT data remain separate, agencies lose the context necessary to act quickly and securely.

Why OT and IT data convergence is changing the way cities operate

OT and IT convergence represents a fundamental step towards a model where data, tools, and processes flow between the two domains as a single system. For decades, agencies have managed OT and IT as parallel worlds, with different teams, budgets, and vendors. This separation made sense when OT systems were closed and physically isolated, but today, with devices like traffic light controllers, water network sensors, and city laptops all connected to the same network, convergence becomes essential.

The adoption of artificial intelligence makes the convergence of OT and IT data even more important. AI offers the greatest value when it has access to unified data, providing a unified operational view and a better understanding of what is happening in the systems that manage the city.

How Elastic solves the problem of protocol proliferation for smart city data

Elastic reduces protocol proliferation by using a single ingestion architecture, the Elastic Agent managed by Fleet, to normalize data from legacy industrial protocols and modern IoT sources in Elastic Cloud.

Thanks to Elastic, data from an old valve controller can be indexed and explored with the same consistency as telemetry data from a modern IoT sensor, allowing teams to focus on what matters most.

Mapping detections to MITRE ATT&CK for ICS

Mapping detections to MITRE ATT&CK for ICS helps teams align their detection and response capabilities with known attacks, improve communication between technical and non-technical teams, and identify gaps in their defenses.

The unification of smart city data is essential to improve public services and ensure a rapid and effective response to problems. The convergence of OT and IT data, supported by solutions like Elastic, offers a unified operational view and a better understanding of the systems that manage cities. Additionally, protecting OT through the application of Zero Trust and the use of protocol-aware detections mapped to MITRE ATT&CK for ICS is fundamental to ensuring the security of city infrastructures.

The role of geospatial intelligence in smart cities

The ability to analyze geospatial data in real-time represents a strategic advantage for city administrations. Platforms like Kibana Maps allow you to visualize on an interactive map disparate events - from a traffic light failure to an anomaly in air quality - creating an integrated operational picture that goes beyond simple data collection.

This geospatial visualization allows you to:

  • Identify recurring spatial patterns (e.g., areas with a higher concentration of road incidents)
  • Optimize routes for public service vehicles
  • Monitor the efficiency of plants distributed across the territory
  • Respond more quickly to localized emergencies

A concrete example is the monitoring of leaks in water networks: the combination of pressure, flow, and geolocation data allows for a 30% reduction in the time it takes to identify leaks.

The importance of OT data governance

The convergence between IT and OT requires the adoption of specific governance policies for operational environments. The NIST SP 800-82 guidelines emphasize the importance of:

  • Defining clear roles and responsibilities for OT security
  • Implementing access controls based on the principle of least privilege
  • Continuously monitoring the integrity of OT devices
  • Maintaining up-to-date inventories of all connected devices

Elastic Security offers specific features for OT governance, including:

  • Automatic mapping of OT assets
  • Generation of compliance reports with regulations

The integration with other emerging technologies

The Elastic platform can be integrated with other key technologies for smart cities:

  • IoT Edge Computing: To process data directly on devices, reducing latency and network traffic
  • AI/ML: To predict failures and optimize operations through machine learning algorithms
  • Blockchain: To ensure the integrity and provenance of critical operational data

These integrations create a complete technological ecosystem that goes beyond simple data collection, transforming it into actionable information for city management.

Best practices for implementation

To maximize the benefits of IT/OT convergence, administrations should:

  • Start pilot projects in specific areas before full adoption
  • Train staff on both technical and security skills
  • Define clear metrics to measure results
  • Collaborate with other public entities to share best practices

A gradual and well-planned approach allows for risk reduction and investment optimization.

Success case: The city of Amsterdam

The municipality of Amsterdam has implemented a solution based on Elastic to integrate data from:

  • Intelligent transport systems
  • Public lighting networks
  • Environmental monitoring

The results include:

  • 40% reduction in emergency response times
  • 25% optimization of energy consumption
  • Improvement of air quality in the city center

This example demonstrates how a unified platform can transform operational data into tangible benefits for citizens.

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